Quotations of the day

“My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.” — Edward Snowden, a former technical assistant for the CIA in a statement after allowing himself to be revealed as the source of disclosures about the U.S. government’s secret surveillance programs.

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“The United States will continue to look for ways to strengthen the capabilities of the Syrian opposition.” — White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan as the Obama administration could decide this week to approve lethal aid for the beleaguered Syrian rebels and will weigh the merits of a less likely move to send in U.S. airpower to enforce a no-fly zone over the civil war-wracked nation.

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“Normally, China has been on North Korea’s side, but now the United States and China have joined hands to urge North Korea to denuclearize, which is a very tough situation for North Korea.” — Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at Seoul National University’s Institute for Peace and Unification Studies in comments saying North Korea was probably motivated to hold talks with Seoul because it wants to ease a sense of crisis over its deepening isolation from the rest of the world, including ally China.